Death Wars

deathwars

Lefty, Hooba, and what is happening in Karachi right now.

A lot of people have expressed interest in DM’ing since I finished the Iron Kingdoms campaign. However, I’m most excited to play yours because you can actually pull off a campaign from the beginning to the end. I haven’t seen anyone other than myself pull that off since my cousin ran a campaign during high school. So anyway, let me know if I can do anything. It might take me a while, but seriously, anything.

THEBACKSTORY

The current title of my homeland is “Karachi”, and I have no idea if that’s what I/we named it a decade ago when you started this campaign or not, but hell, that’s what I’m going to use.
A quick backstory to Karachi and its relation to Lefty and Hooba.

I started out playing Hooba, who was the eldest son of Karachi’s Emperor. Hooba suffered from multiple personality disorder and this affliction had caused his exile from the country. Hooba has or had 7 younger sisters .

Hooba once tried to kill his father the Emperor, but was unsuccessful (and someone else may have beaten him to the punch, I can’t remember). Hooba eventually went on to gain leadership, and he had a small army of cavalry and samurai that he was using to fight on Rhukyeen. That was all before Lefty.

Then I brought in Lefty, who is Hooba’s younger half brother (the Emperor’s bastard). Lefty was trained by the court wizard, who was kind of like a Worm-Tongue to the Emperor. Lefty idolized his older half-brother Hooba, and when the crazy monk went missing, Lefty went on a quest to find him.

LEFTY’S PLANS

Lefty faced his brother in the last battle, after Hooba had been missing for so long. He had feared that Hooba was captured by Oneagas, but he had no idea that his brother had turned to the other side.

Lefty has gone out looking for his brother Hooba. The wizard’s first priority has become to find out what caused his brother to change sides. Is his mind being controlled? Has his mind splintered again?

Things Lefty and Snoop had already accomplished.

- Began training wizards to fight against Kiera, Oneagas, Anubis, or whoever is trying to destroy everything.

- Become pretty good friends with Elminster (I think) because they are two of the most powerful wizards in the multiverse.

- Stabilized his home country (Karachi) as a safe haven on Rhukyeen. Their army is organized and they have holed up in their mountain fortresses.

THEFORTRESSES

The mountain fortresses of Karachi each have a special backstory and purpose. The following narrative explains more about them.

a. The Monastery of Exultation – The Exhultaion has been used as a monastery for the last 500 years, because Liong-Hai enjoyed such a long peace before these Death Wars. However, it is a well stocked and welcoming place that sits at the mouth of a narrow mountain pass. Not only are there many rooftop gardens within the Exultation’s walls, but there is sufficient farmland and pasture that the monks use year round that are safely hidden in the mountains behind the Exultation’s walls.

The Monks of Exultation are never more than 200 in number. Hooba trained here as a young man, although he was never admitted into the order. These monks are trained in many disciplines including but not limited to: Martial, Agricultural, Spiritual, Diplomacy, and Transcendence (which is the ability to spiritually – not physically – travel between planes of existence to and from Rhukyeen).

Currently: Lefty spends most of his time at the Monastery. He has a study here. His mistress lives here (Lefty fears and hates his wife, the Empress. More on her later). Lefty enjoys visiting with the Monks. Several senior members of the Fraternal Order of Wizards has permanent residence here. And most importantly, Snoop enjoys spending time in the Monastery’s many rooftop gardens.

Gongah’s Revenge – 355 years ago, Karachi suffered from a devastating civil war between the Emperor Gongah and his most trusted commander, General Troi. The Emperor had refused to pay a wartime bonus that he had promised his army during the invasion of Zhang Tu’ (their former neighbor that they had conquered, and is now a province of Karachi).
After pleading with the Emperor to pay his men, General Troi led an armed rebellion against his ruler. After taking the surrounding towns, and overrunning the palace guard, Troi found that his Emperor had escaped to the countryside.

Troi rallied support from the nobility that had stayed loyal to him, raised an army of his own, then fled into the mountains as winter closed in. He had his army dig a fortress straight out of the cliff face of Karachi’s tallest mountain (a mountain which is called “The Lion’s Head”). There he trained his new army, sent out messengers in secret to his allies, and waited.
Back in the palace, Troi and his men were living the high life. The General believed that Gongah had been killed by brigands trying to flee on the country roads, and so he had declared himself Emperor. They believed that they had won and were raping and pillaging the local populace as though they had just conquered a new nation.

So it came as quite a surprise when they awoke one spring with a well armed, well trained, and well provisioned army surrounding the palace. Gongah had been out of power all of 9 months when he marched back into the capitol. He killed Troi and every member of the usurping party he could find. Then he burned the old palace to the ground and built a new one seven miles away at the nearest village (and at a more defensible position). Legend has it that after Gongah and his army left, the only thing left alive in the palace was an ass that the left tethered to the throne while they lit the entire place on fire.

Currently: “Gongah’s Revenge” is where the bulk of Karachi’s army is located. Lefty visits here from time to time to confer with his generals and to visit the men.

c. The Turtle’s Kneecaps – This is not one, but three separate fortresses hidden deep within the Yahamma Mountain Range. Even the people living here do not know where they are.
The Kneecaps are/were a well kept secret within Karachi’s Fraternal Order of Wizards. These three fortresses were left abandoned, then magically shrouded, and magically preserved from the rest of Rhukyeen in case of such an emergency that the Fraternal Order would see fit to hide the nation’s population in the case of an invasion. The Death Wars are the first time the Kneecaps have ever been used.

900 years ago, Karachi began as many provinces ruled by warlords who warred constantly against each other. Eventually, the most ruthless and cunning warlord won out, becoming the first Emperor Chiang). Then Chiang gathered all of his former competitors together under the ruse of a treaty, and slaughtered them down to a man. This first Emperor of Karachi is who built the Kneecaps during his original conquest.

The second Emperor, Zhu-Bao, son of Chiang, was a much more kindly soul. He declared a pardon and general amnesty for all those who had opposed his father (although few were left alive) and then he took dismantled a large portion of the army, abandoned the Kneecaps, and consolidated the remaining army at the capitol. Then he had his most powerful wizards preserve the Kneecaps and hide them from the rest of the plane.
Ironically, Zhu-Bao was overthrown in a coup two years later, largely because he lacked the ruthlessness to keep the nobility in line. Fortunately, the Fraternal Order of Wizards (which Zhu-Bao founded) kept the Kneecaps hidden.

Currently: Each of the Kneecaps houses one third of Karachi’s remaining general population. Any members of the Army that housed at Gongah’s Revenge will go to one of the Kneecaps for furlough.

The three Kneecaps have been named “Under”; “Over”; and “Therein”. These are tongue and cheek references to some of the wizard training that Lefty underwent as the last Emperor’s bastard.

Lefty’s wife, the empress Sun’Lee, stays at the Kneecap called “Over” (which was his least favorite lesson). Sun’Lee is a spiteful and angry woman who was arranged in marriage to him well back when he was only the Emperor’s bastard. Now that Lefty is the Emperor, she has become demanding and power-hungry, so Lefty avoids her because he hates confrontation more than anything.

The majority of the noble class also live in “Over”, and the fortress is nominally run by Sun’Lee and her mother (Lefty’s mother-in-law) who is a horrid, horrid woman.

SOMEFACTIONS

The Fraternal Order of Wizards: have long kept their numbers at no more than 50. However, desperate times call for desperate measures and Lefty has put out the call to actively recruit and train anyone with magical talent. This has included those of the Sorcerer and Druidic traditions (Clerics have their own show).

The 99 Samurai: are exactly who they say they are. Never more, never less. You must be of noble birth to gain entry. There is a waiting list.

The Monks of Exultation: 200 monks who are experts in a variety of fields. Martial, Agricultural, Spiritual, Diplomacy, and Transcendence. Although they are based in the Fortress of Exultation, they are known to travel widely. Some of the oldest members have travelled the full length of Rhukyeen several times, which is to say nothing of the Order of Transcendence.

- There are only 7 members of the Order of Transcendence. They do not keep a cap on membership, rather, it is an exclusive group because only a few people can actually develop the ability to “transcend” their mind to spiritually travel between the planes.

The Noble Houses: Simply put, most of the nobles have put their allegiance firmly behind Sun’Lee first, and Lefty second. This is for two reasons. 1. Lefty is a bastard and rules Karachi only because the rest of his family is missing, dead, or insane. 2. Sun’Lee and her mother run “Over” with an iron fist. Anyone living within that fortress must at least acknowledge her supremacy of the locale.

So Jonas and Tsignotchka Woo decided to try and gather some inside information and really didn’t find out much to help in the wars. In fact, they were able to offend a few people and even send a few packing to the Outlands! Like Su-Rinn and Lady Of Pain. Luckily Elminster the Surial, promised to help you in the Death Wars.

We also found out who is imprisoned in The Spire… The Modrons are marching… and The Forgotten Palace no longer flies.

Oh Yeah, we cannot leave out the most important part! Onegas is in the Death Wars and has teamed up with Raven the Uberloth.

After a brief meeting with Garl Glittergold you find out he has a “real bad ass” army. However, you realize that he will fight with honor.

Did I mention that LOP took the Standard Of Unity from you? I’m sure it is a temporary loan and she will give it back someday…. if she lives that long.

Speaking of her death, let’s hope her and Su-Rinn don’t die before the Death Wars begin… an Uber-Kira is not something you want to deal with…… EVER!!

A not so complete history on the early Death Wars ...

Most of these notes I located in an old notebook entitled “Hooba’s Book”. It smelled like cheetos and cloves …
In the Beginning
We began on the Material plane – Rhukaihine. We met up in a big city and fought our way through a gladiatorial tourney. Hooba won. Immediately thereafter, everyone in the city (but us) died and a flying city came floating down from above.
“Karachi” – Homeland of Hooba and Lefty
From there, we somehow ended up in Sigil where we met up with Gates, Arka Studia, etc.
Sigil 1.0
Arka Studia – Medusa Sensate boss in Sigil has helped us by lending us her house and hospitality. At one point she offered to pay us 200,000 gp a piece to find the “Codex of Infinite Planes” which is a 5 million year old book located in Thoth’s librabry which is somewhere in Arborea. Arka Studia wanted the Codex to find out more about Rhukaihine (my plane of existence).
- Arka Studia is the leader of the Mind’s Eye, an alliance between the Athar and Sensates?
- Arka’s husband is a Gith.
Gates (a Gatecrasher) helped us get around when we were clueless. We hung out at a tavern named “Singing Holly’s”. Holly is a siren who lives in the Lady’s Ward. There we met up with Collision and Gates.
At one point we were on Arquellor, the second level of Arborea.
Thoth is the Diety of Knowledge, History, Writing, Learning, and Justice.
- He invented writing and is known as “The Baboon”.
- He was once the original scribe of the underworld.
- He had a cohort named Mehat.
- Thoth directed the boat of Ra that takes the Sun around the world. He has control over whether or not the deceased Gods go to the Abyss or not.
- Thoth was surprised about Rhukaine being attatcked.
Nun – Diety of Water on Arquellor
- Temple of Legends is where divine heroes go when they die. Nit and Nun were allied with Gith and Slaadi. We were ambushed in an underground temple. We fought our way out.
- Nit wanted to find out who was leading the Drow. Nit sent us to the city of Drow. There are books that can tell us why Rhukaine is important.
Early Notes on Death Wars
Faerun used to be a plane on the great wheel. Also, Faerun used to be where Acheron is. Faerun used to be a level of Baator.
The winner of the great battles gets their plane moved to the prime. This is so Limbo goes to the Prime and sucks up the prime . Then, the Drow get Limbo’s old spot because Lolth wants her own plane.
Each city on Rhukaine can only host one deity during the Death Wars. Each city is representative of a plane on the great wheel. Each deity must arrive through the matching city.
The Orcs and Drow invaded Rhukaihine. I believe we have killed Grumsh and Lloth. Somewhere we met a drow named Kolnic.
Lady Kiera is not a power or a deity. Kiera is part of the order of Rhule. Her city will return from Limbo. We were commissioned by Horace’s brother to find out when it will return and where it is.
Hooba stole Lady Kira’s Star Onyx and her book. Lefty now has the Onyx.
For completing the “Great Hunt” we all received arrows of Solonor, one of the resident deities. Jilt, an Elven Ranger, helped us. We also met Artemis, a Greek deity, at the after party.
Mazes
Sent to the Mazes, Hooba thought he was looking for an Adult Red Wyrm. Upon finding said dragon, he attempted to sneak up on it. I can sneak up on an Adult Red Wyrm, he thought, it can’t be that hard. Turning confidently to the rest of the party, he said, “Don’t worry, I’ll go scout this thing out and make sure it’s safe for the rest of you.”
Upon failing his sneak roll he noticed the dragon was ‘Colossal’ in size. Hooba argued with reality, “Adult Red Wyrms can’t be Colossal.” It was at that point he realized he had been given bad information.
Hooba looked back to his friend the paladin. “Jonas, I need your help.”
Jonas replied, “You’re not being sneaky.”
If I remember correctly, the monk spent most of that fight making feeble grapple checks from inside the mouth of the Wyrm.

Major Questions (that I had @ one point)
Slaadi Lords – Spawning Stone?
Sun – What to do?
What is happening on Rhukaihine.
Talk to Neth? An Army?
Sigma Genisis? Dead or Alive?
Who are the other 2 of the original 5?

Jonas’ question to talk to Neth: How many clerics of Thoth does it take to light a candle?
Answer(?): “Neth destroyed himself in a past life and became a plane of existence. He used to be bad, turned good and destroyed himself to defeat another evil power.”
“The spawning stone is Lady Kira’s ‘city that will return.’ Neth is the only way to oppose her city’s return, etc. The difference maker will be High Marshall. He will lead the Army of Neth.”
“All the Quintessence is in the Astral Plane with the stars.”
“We have to use Grumsh to fight Kiera. Each city we save brings in a new diety to fight Kiera.
L.O.P
Onegis vs. Lady of Pain in the Death Wars.
Onegis tried to create races and created Baator and Abyss denizens. Because he lost over (sic) everything and created the Shadow Plane.
Overran everything with Saurials (High Marshall).
L.O.P cheated with the Baator and Abyss denizens.
Shar won the last death war. Renbu doesn’t like Shar.
These were the descendants of the Original Beings (elements)
Lady Kira – Chaos
Lady Korst – Randomness
Madam Snedum – Insanity
Madam Renbu – Colors
Lady Yagril – Entropy
Nameless – Lady of Pain
Su’Rin – Order, was the …
Onegis – brother (big cheese) suffered from schitzophrenia
L.O.P – went to NETH who created the Dragons and Titans to defeat the Saurials and Onegis.
Neth promised to make 10 million of the race of our choice.
The Ancients
Chaos – Water
Good/Holy – Air
Law – Earth
Unholy/Evil – Fire
Neutral – Flesh (Quintessence/Neth)

Random notes from later book
Onegus speciality is Dreams.
Babr has visions which are more powerful, trained by not restrained. Trancendant Order
Orcus +1 cities? – sold – bother – now has 2 cities – gave first city to Kiera – ?Dreaming? prison
We released Onegus? Cathy let him out?
Onegus – Orcus unfroze for city which was given to Kiera.

A blog for your campaign

While the wiki is great for organizing your campaign world, it’s not the best way to chronicle your adventures. For that purpose, you need a blog!

The Adventure Log will allow you to chronologically order the happenings of your campaign. It serves as the record of what has passed. After each gaming session, come to the Adventure Log and write up what happened. In time, it will grow into a great story!

Best of all, each Adventure Log post is also a wiki page! You can link back and forth with your wiki, characters, and so forth as you wish.

One final tip: Before you jump in and try to write up the entire history for your campaign, take a deep breath. Rather than spending days writing and getting exhausted, I would suggest writing a quick “Story So Far” with only a summary. Then, get back to gaming! Grow your Adventure Log over time, rather than all at once.